<< Back
State Licenses and Permits
GLASS CEILING EVENTS, LLC D.B.A “THE GLASS CEILING”, 1204 Broadway (Between 29th and 30th Streets) NEW YORK, NY, application for alteration to an existing tavern wine license.
On behalf of the Full Board of Community Board Five, the Executive Board unanimously passed the following resolution on Monday, October 18, 2021
WHEREAS, GLASS CEILING EVENTS LLC ("Applicant"), has notified Community Board Five of its intention to apply for alteration to its existing Tavern Wine license for the rooftop bar/lounge/event space located at 1204 Broadway (between 29th and 30th Streets) New York, New York (the "Premises"); and
WHEREAS, The entirety of the space is outdoors, on a rooftop (the “Rooftop”) above the fourth floor of the building; and
WHEREAS, In December 2019, CB5 issued a resolution recommending denial of Applicant’s request for an on-premises liquor license; and
WHEREAS, In March 2020, in response to Applicant’s request for reconsideration of the Denial Resolution, CB5 reconsidered the matter and again recommended denial of the application and issued another resolution (the “Reconsideration Resolution”); and
WHEREAS, In support of the Denial Resolution and Reconsideration Resolution, CB5 heard input from many residents abutting the Premises and living nearby the Premises in opposition to issuing a license to the Premises for the reasons set forth in the resolutions; and
WHEREAS, In support of the Denial Resolution and the Reconsideration Resolution, Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, State Senator Liz Krueger, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and City Councilmember Keith Powers, submitted testimony opposing the Rooftop license; and
WHEREAS, On April 29, 2020, at the NYSLA Full Board Review of Application #1319843 of Glass Ceiling Events LLC, Agenda Number 2020-00617D, the SLA denied Applicant’s application for an on-premises liquor license; and
WHEREAS, A few months later, Applicant then applied for the existing Tavern Wine license (the “Existing License”) and, in June of 2020, CB5 recommended denial of the application on the same grounds as the previous denials; and
WHEREAS, At a full board hearing on the matter, the NYSLA granted the Existing License on December 8th, 2020, with the following conditions (the “Existing Restrictions”):
- No service of alcohol outside;
- Indoor service must end at 9 pm;
- Outdoor occupancy must end at 8 pm;
- No outdoor music;
- No DJ; and
- A maximum of 10 private events per month; and
WHEREAS, Now, just ten (10) months later, Applicant is seeking alteration to the Existing License as follows:
- To upgrade the Existing License from Tavern Wine and Beer to a full On-Premises Liquor license; and
- To extend hours of operation beyond the Existing Restrictions; and
WHEREAS, Although the Existing License has only been in effect for ten (10) months, the operation has already proven to be problematic to the neighborhood and disrespectful of the Existing Restrictions, with occupancy at the Premises regularly beyond the hours permitted under the Existing Restrictions, and recorded evidence of such violations provided on at least twenty (20) dates, to wit 5/8, 5/14, 5/15, 5/19, 5/21, 6/4, 6/11, 6/13, 6/17, 6/18, 6/23, 6/24, 6/25, 6/30, 7/18, 7/21 , 7/23, 8/3, 8/4, and 9/15; and
WHEREAS, Residents have complained of loud acoustic base thumping, patron loud talking, and “general raucousness” from the Premises to their residential windows mere feet away; and
WHEREAS, We see no reason for the SLA to reverse its decision from April 29, 2020 to deny the On Premises liquor license; in fact, the reasons to uphold that denial are now overwhelming given the Applicant’s poor performance with their Tavern Wine license; and
WHEREAS, CB5 repeats that, because of the location of the Rooftop mere feet away from residential windows, there is no way the Rooftop can be operated as a bar/lounge/event space without significantly and unreasonably imposing on the residents adjacent to the space; and
WHEREAS, Even subject to the Existing Restrictions, the Premises has been unreasonably disruptive to the quality of life of the nearby residents; and
WHEREAS, Any loosening of the Existing Restrictions would cause even greater unacceptable disturbance to the residents; and
WHEREAS, Although CB5 strives to balance the interests of residents and businesses in the district, in this case, the huge negative impact on the adjacent residents and the potential for even greater negative impact, cannot be balanced against a rooftop bar in such close proximity to residences; and
WHEREAS, Although CB5 opposes the location of this rooftop bar at the Premises, CB5 would be willing to work with the Applicant on options other than operating on the Rooftop, for example licensing portions of the interior four (4) floors of the building; and
WHEREAS, Because of (i) the location of the Rooftop Premises immediately adjacent to residential windows; and (ii) support for the SLA’s previous denial of the On Premises liquor license for this Premises; and (iii) in recognition of Applicant’s already repeated failure to abide by the Existing Restrictions, CB5 finds that granting an alteration to the Existing License is NOT in the public interest; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Community Board Five requests that the SLA improve enforcement of the Existing Restrictions on the existing operation at the Premises; and be it further
RESOLVED, That Community Board Five recommends denial of the application by GLASS CEILING EVENTS, LLC for alteration to the existing Tavern Wine license for the rooftop bar/lounge/event space located at 1204 Broadway (between 29th and 30th Streets) New York, New York.